How to Apply Eye Shadow for Every Eye Shape

When it comes to lid looks, we all have the same goal: brighter, bigger, more awake eyes. Here, makeup pro Mia Silverio shows us how to highlight, shade, and line eyes of every shape and size like a pro.

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Round Eyes

If you have round eyes like Katy Perry, start by applying eyeliner from the inner corners of your eyes all the way to the outside ending in a straight line or small cat eye. Then highlight below the brow bone and the inner corners of your eye with a light eye shadow. To show contrast between the highlighted parts of the eye, take a medium eye shadow color and lightly apply it above your lid. Finally, thickly apply a darker color shadow along the crease of your eye, without going too overboard. Blend the shadow from the outside going towards the middle of the eye to add dimension.

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Almond-Shaped Eyes

Almond eyes (like Lupita Nyong'o's) are the most symmetrical—just the effect you're trying to create with your makeup. If you have almond eyes, you should use the round eye application technique. Just mimic the shape of your own eye.

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Hooded Eyes

Hooded eyes like Blake Lively's have an extra layer of skin below the brow that covers the crease and makes the lid seem smaller. They don't need much highlighting, so start with your light shadow only on the inner corners of your eyes. Then apply a good amount of the medium color to the hooded lid. Go heavy with the dark shade around the crease to give the illusion of a rounder eye and extend your eyeliner further out in order to balance the look.

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Prominent Eyes

If you have prominent eyes like Lala Anthony's, consider highlighting just under the brow bone. Like the hooded eye, you should heavily shade with your medium color. But instead of applying only above the crease, go heavy under the crease as well. Most importantly, apply heavy eyeliner from the inner corners of your eye to the outside with just a straight line.

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Monolid Eyes

For eyes like Sandra Oh's, begin by highlighting in the inner corners of the eye, going up and out to the center of the lid. Then take your medium color and go above the crease from the outside of the eye, creating a round shape. The dark shade should be used in the same motion very lightly to define the shape, but don't go further in than the center of the eye. When applying liner, keep a steady hand and do a very thin line that gets a bit thicker on the outside.

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Deep-Set Eyes

For deep-set eyes like Julianne Moore's, use the same application techniques as you would for a round eye, but apply the dark shadow very lightly. You want to accentuate the highlighted parts of the eye to give the illusion of roundness, but not overpower it with dark shadow.

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Close-Set Eyes

To make close-set eyes like Michelle Obama's appear wider apart, start by highlighting below your brow bone and inner lid the same as you would for round eyes—what's different here is the base shadow. Use a medium color and shade a little farther out than the width of the eye in a wide, round shape. Then take the darker color and shade from the outside on top of the crease to give it more contrast. Start your eyeliner at the middle of the lid and extend it out further than your eye in a straight line.

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Down-Turned Eyes

For eyes like Rose Byrne's, start by using your shadow to highlight and shade the same way you would for a round or almond-shaped eye—the difference is your eyeliner should be much heavier. After applying the shadow, swipe on your eyeliner starting at the inner corners, and extend all the way to the outside.

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